Overview
- Nearly half of cars go unused on a typical day as average per‑vehicle distance falls to about 26 km and daily driving time to 42 minutes, with home‑office trends keeping vehicles parked around 21 hours.
- Cars remain dominant at 53% of all trips and 73% of kilometers, though shares have slipped since 2017 and diverge sharply between cities and rural areas.
- Walking rises to 26% of trips—roughly 113 million kilometers daily—with researchers pointing to more dog walking and greater health tracking since the pandemic.
- Battery‑electric cars now mirror combustion usage, including 13% of trips over 30 km and average annual mileage near 14,600 km, while newer combustion models average about 16,800 km.
- Public transport rebounds with the Deutschlandticket, used by 16% nationwide and 33% in major cities, as federal and state governments each commit €1.5 billion annually and set the price at €63 from January 2026.